Round balls in .31-caliber revolvers?

[Naphtali]

I seek an inexpensive round ball with which to load Pietta Remington 1863 .31-caliber cap lock revolver. Depending upon the source of information, this revolver uses .320- through .323-inch diameter RBs. Bulk bags of double 00 buckshot are easy to obtain, diameter being nominal .330 inch. Bags of single 0 buckshot are much more difficult to obtain, diameter being nominal .320 inch.

Since chilled lead RBs, a few being swaged rather than "drip dropped," translates to harder RBs than one hand cast of pure lead. The bottom line becomes: do those of you who shoot reproduction Colt and Remington .31-caliber cap lock revolvers routinely load double 00 buckshot purchased in bulk?

If loading via revolver's loading lever - that is, scraping .330-inch RB to its fit in a revolver's chambers - puts unacceptable strain on the lever assembly - will single 0 buckshot be satisfactory?

 

[Zonie]

I'll let those who have tried using the buckshot answer your questions but if we are talking about the Remington New Model Pocket Revolver, its little loading lever has very little power when it comes to loading roundballs.

I wouldn't even try to load a .330, possibly hardened buckshot with it.

If you want to remove the cylinder and use a little bench press or a small plastic mallet for loading the .330 ball, it should work fine.

 

[cynthialee]

With such a small and delicate loading lever I would much prefer to use a loading press regardless of the lead softness.

 

[nikke]

I use .330, 00 buckshot that I have cast in a LEE mould.
I have reamed upp the chambers a little bit, so I get a little lead ring, and the gun is a Pietta Remington pocket.
The acuracy is fine.

 

[Naphtali]

With such a small and delicate loading lever I would much prefer to use a loading press regardless of the lead softness.

I am aware of several metal cylinder loading devices and own a couple of home made wood stands that maintain the revolver in a muzzle vertical position. My wooden stands offer nothing but some convenience while the metal ones I've seen advertised hold only the cylinder and offer a lever aided plunger to load projectiles into chambers. But what I have identified are intended for full-sized revolvers' cylinders - .36- and .44-caliber.

Is such a cylinder loader available for pocket Remington cylinders?

 

[FishDFly]

Call Powder Inc. and ask them about the one they sell.

 

[FishDFly]

Do a search for "Tower of Power", see they offer in their loading stand.

 

[Zonie]

It sounds crude but if the cylinder is out of the pistol and resting on a soft wood or wood backed leather surface to protect the rear, a plastic, hard rubber or leather mallet can be used to drive the larger balls into the chambers.

Once the balls are below the face of the cylinder, the excess metal has already been sheared off so the small loading lever can easily shove the balls down to the top of the powder load.

 

[bubba15301]

bpi makes the size buckshot you need

 

[bearbullets]

Nah. .330 would be too much stress on the loading lever and with all the accessories needed to load it with a dedicated loading stand, whats the point of owning the dang thing? I prefer .319 diameter balls myself. I think .323 would be the biggest I'd go with.

 

[Larry Beach]

I had a .31 Pocket Pistol that my Brother had put together as a kit.
I got it from him because he did a .44 Confederate
Revolver. That dang thing chain fired like crazy!
Both times I loaded it, the pistol broke in two and the cykinder pin was the loading lever.
Upon closer inspection I had to file a little more off the back strap brass behind the cyl. The recoil was driving the cylinder back and setting off the primers!! talk about dangerous, but I didn't even realize it at first until I tried to shoot the 2nd ball and it just went click!
I can imagine how dangerous it was! You really couldn't tell it was going to do it because the cylinder was held forward on the barrel by a spring.
Good luck..